The Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) issued formal warnings on Monday to former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and three other lawmakers after they walked out of the lower chamber just before a vote on a bill that would cut the consumption tax on food and drinks for two years.
The bill, backed by current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, had passed the House of Representatives last Friday but faced criticism from opposition parties and some LDP members who said the government had not explained how it would pay for the tax cut.
When the vote started, Ishiba, former director‑general of the Economic Planning Agency Hajime Funada, former Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa and former LDP election‑strategy chief Yuko Obuchi left the chamber and did not vote. The four lawmakers later sent written explanations to the LDP for their absences, according to Kyodo News.
The party said it was the first time it had disciplined a former prime minister under its own rules. The LDP has a set of rules that ask members to follow party decisions on important votes.
Ishiba said the walkout was a protest against what he called “extremely problematic” as a country if the government cuts consumption tax revenue without finding an alternative funding source.
"It would be extremely problematic for the country as a whole to lose consumption tax revenue without first identifying an alternative source of funding."
Source: Xinhua, Nov. 9, 2026.
